With the emergence of fighting robots taking center stage in the beginning of the seventies, special effects, animation and overall excitement grew around giant machines battling in epic melees of iron and steel.

From the Drawing Board to the Big Screen

Early on, Japan and South Korea released animations featuring large robots, “Gundam”, “Mazinger Z” and “Robot Taekwon V”, forged from super strong alloys. The machines were built as weapons against forces of evil, and over the course of several seasons, had many successful campaigns against evil-doers.

Popularity for enormous robots built for combat took off not only in Asia, but also in the US, where different adaptions were created. While Voltar the Invincible, Iron Man and other man-made machines kept the world in check, dramatic clashes between Transformers’ Autobots and Decepticons were leaving cities in ruins.

During that same time, robots were being incorporated into Hollywood’s sci-fi and futuristic movie plots more often. The Star Wars saga, Robocop and Blade Runner, all had robots that were built for one purpose – to destroy.

Steel Warriors

Entering in the new millennium, fighting robots continued to thrive. Robots were not only fighting in fiction, but also in reality. The hit 2000 TV show, “Battle Bots”, had engineers from around the world designing and building real-life robots to ravage their competition.

In 2007, director Michael Bay completely reimagined and reinvented the Transformers series into a larger-than-life action-packed film – winning global acclaim and nominated for three academy awards, including best visual effects.

In Roger Ebert’s review of “Transformers”, he says that “the robots, created by Industrial Light and Magic, are indeed delightful creatures; you can look hard and see the truck windshields, hubcaps and junkyard stuff they’re made of. And their movements are ingenious, especially the scorpion-like robot in the desert.”

Building on the momentum of the Transformers series, the 2007 movie, “Real Steel”, soon took the spotlight for sparring robots. In the future, human boxers have been replaced by robots, who just like the Ali’s and Sugar Rays of our time, duck and jab at each other with their human operators, controlling their movements.

The heroic protagonist of “Real Steel”, is not only the former boxer-turned robot operator, but also the almost-forgotten steel robot itself which became a winning success in the underdog story.

Machine’s Last Stand

Giant, earth-saving robots piloted by humans more recently took their stand against even larger prehistoric-looking alien invaders in Academy Award-winning director, Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim”.

In the film, the gargantuan robots, called Jaegers, were built by the world’s military and are piloted by an elite group of individuals that must connect not only with their partner, but also the machine to defeat their enemy.

Each Jaeger is built differently, and each has a unique ability that will help it bring down the giant alien monsters. After several Jaegers are destroyed in hard-fought battles, the remaining two are victorious against the enemy – with their steel structures largely to thank.

Stories films involving colossal fighting robots will most likely continue to entertain us for some time to come. With space exploration and technology being the main theme around much of the movies that are coming out, there will always be space in the script for an epic giant robot battle.

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Reshaping Women’s Fashion

Perhaps no other clothing item has played a more influential role in fashion than the corset. It first made an appearance in fashion 500 years ago, when it was used to mold the upper torso into a rigid cone-like shape. During this time, baleen (whalebone) was used as boning to support the desired shape and prevent wrinkling of the fabric. (Images: http://bit.ly/1SPecWV and http://bit.ly/1BFWH75 )

As baleen became more expensive, and the ideal body shape of the woman began to change in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, steel became the dominant boning material and was used to make the corset accentuate a woman’s natural curves. This led to a widespread public outcry: from medical doctors regarding health risks, from religious leaders upset about the garment’s revealing nature and from feminists, who claimed the corset was symbolic of the imprisonment of women at the time. (Though, it should be noted that even men and young children wore corsets, too!)

In the early 1900s, fashion placed greater emphasis on comfort and rigid steel boning was replaced by more flexible steel boning. Today, corsets are mostly limited to historical dramas and lingerie shops, but the item will forever be a symbol of “sexy” steel and femininity.

The Crinoline Craze

In the mid-19^th century, the crinoline, a structured petticoat, became a hot trend and was sported by just about every woman in the Western world.

Originally structured with horsehair, steel was widely used in the 1850s to make the hoop skirts spread out more fully. This new style was so popular that in 1859, the New York factory of Thomson & Co., one of the most significant manufacturers of the item, used 300,000 yards of steel wire every week to produce between three and four thousand crinolines per day. Likewise, the company’s rival, Douglas & Sherwood, used a ton of steel each week in manufacturing hoop skirts at its factory in Manhattan. (Images: http://bit.ly/1LtOLrU )

The crinoline eventually fell out of fashion, but was revived in the 1940s and 50s, and again in the 80s, when Vivienne Westwood created the mini-crini. This item was designed to embody two conflicting ideals of the era – the crinoline, representing a “mythology of restriction and encumbrance in woman’s dress,” and the miniskirt, symbolizing an “equally dubious mythology of liberation.” 

Steel-Inspired Subcultures

Other steel trends that cropped up during the 1970s-90s were inspired by the punk, heavy metal and rivethead subcultures that flourished during the three decades. The cultures’ associated dress styles incorporated military aesthetics, such as steel toe boots, with hints of Punk, like spikes and studs. Often, these styles were complemented by tattoos, piercings and scarification. (Image: http://bit.ly/1eTOaDE )

Steel toe boots, such as Dr. Martens, Gripfasts and Grinders, which had originally been used as a safety measure for industrial workers, became a popular choice of footwear for their rough and tough reputation. So tough, in fact, that they’ve been known to be the catalyst of injured concert-goers as a result of crowd surfing gone wrong.

Metallics in the New Millennium

When the 2000s began, fashion trends were highly influenced by technology. “Y2K fashion” featured a monochromatic futuristic approach with metallic hues, and a heavy use of the color gray, straps and buckles. Apparel was made to be reflective, technological and sexy, and even electronics became an accessory to complete the Y2K look. (Images: http://bit.ly/1JhFiBR ; http://bit.ly/1edGVFR )

This year, metallics, which capture the vibrancy of steel, have made a comeback on the catwalk. Designers have once again rolled out sophisticated styles with reflective touches, which fashionistas pair with toned-down staples like buttoned-up blouses and printed shirts to keep things shiny but not overly blinding.

Time will only tell what the future of fashion holds. But, if the past offers any hint of what’s to come, and it often does in fashion, then we are likely to see steel on the catwalk again sooner than later.